The present invention is related to the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment and, more specifically, to the identification of polypeptides, such as antibodies, useful in the diagnosis, detection, monitoring, and treatment of neoplasms in a mammal, e.g., a human.
In the United States well over one million individuals are diagnosed with cancer each year. Although recent advances in the medical field have significantly improved the rate of survival among cancer patients, a large number of cancer-related deaths still could be prevented by the early diagnosis of the tumor. Accordingly, at the time of initial diagnosis, an alarming number of patients have already reached late stages of the disease.
With respect to colorectal cancer, the prognosis is usually poor in 50% of all cases because the tumor is often undetected until the disease has spread and reached a terminal stage. Similarly, approximately 75% of women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer after the disease has already reached an advanced stage (stage III or IV) because the symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague or “silent.” Despite aggressive surgical intervention and new chemotherapeutic regimens, the overall 5-year survival rate for these women with advanced stage ovarian cancer has remained constant over the past 30 years, at approximately 15%. Conversely, women diagnosed with cancer confined to the ovary (stage I) have an overall 5-year survival rate approaching 90%.
Clearly, there is a need for the early and improved detection and treatment of neoplasms (e.g., stomach adenocarcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, squamous cell lung carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, urothel carcinoma of the urinary bladder, renal cell carcinoma of the kidney, adenocarcinoma of the prostate, ductal carcinoma of the breast, lobular carcinoma of the breast, adenocarcinoma of the ovary, adenocarcinoma of the endometrium, or adenocarcinoma of the uterus), as this would increase the chance of treating the neoplasm and, thereby, lead to an improved prognosis for long-term survival.